Gameplay: Outposts

[DviddLeff]

This concept is based around the observation of landing struts on the communication outpost in the trailer. Higby has said that outfits may be able to construct things in the field, but probably not at game release. Here is my take on what may happen:

Outposts

Outfits or successful squad leaders can use resources to call in from orbit structures that will aid the war effort. These structures can act as strong points in a defencive line, information relays or increase resource output from a sector. Only one outpost would be able to deployed in a single territory, and only if there is not a pre existing structure in the territory (eg permenant facility, urban centre, etc). The outposts would be called in by outfit officers or squad leaders and would take a minute from the purchase to when they are active. Anything underneath the area they land in would be destroyed.

Any outpost in a territory would have to be captured or destroyed in order to claim the territory in the name of an empire.

Outposts could be set to self destruct by the owning outfits officers or the squad leader, which would have a 5 minute countdown. In this time the enemy could hack the outpost and stop the countdown to allow them to capture it. Owners could alternatively dismantle the outpost to regain 50% of the resources from building it.

Outposts all provide their empire with a respawn point and act as a place to aquire equipment and all would have some fixed turrets for defenders to use. They come in the following types:

• Bunker (1): strongpoint for infantry.
• Communications outpost (2): detects and immediatly alerts friendly forces to enemy incursion in the territory.
• Gun Platform (2): AI/AV/AA heavy turret options
• Electronic warfare tower (2): Enemy lock on times increased, enemy unable to deploy drop pods for squad spawning and cannot access orbital strike in that territory.
• Air pad (2): air vehicles able to be aquired, reparied and rearmed.
• Vehicle bay (2): ground vehicles able to be aquired, reparied and rearmed.
• Resource extractor (3): increases resource output from the territory by 100%
• Outfit barracks (1 + upgrades): can be customised to have up to three of the standard outpost benifits. For example the outfit could choose to have a resource extractor, gun platform and air pad to allow them to both gain more resources, use it as a staging area for their aircraft and defend it. Outfit barracks would take twice as long to capture as other outposts.

Empire specific outpost (2): Each empire would have their own version of an outpost, which would be differentiated according to the specialisation of the empire. Here are some quick ideas:

• TR: Ammo dump: all TR forces in the territory carry double the ammunition
• NC: Artillery piece: large artillery piece which can fire up to a territory away.
• VS: Energy distributor: all vehicle afterburners and infantry stamina bars last twice as long.

In brackets you can see a comparison of the relative resource cost.

This system would allow empires to fortify their territory as they see fit, with outfits being responsible for sections of the battle line as they invest their resources and time into defending it. You would naturally get resource extractors behind the lines where they are safe, or on rarer resources, while the gun towers on the front lines. Potentially each empire could have their own style of outpost.